1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic cash register. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved electronic cash register adapted to collect and print information for each of the commodity departments in any sequence in spite of the order of the commodity department codes in the case where information of each of the commodity departments of commodities as individually registered is accumulated and printed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electronic cash registers have been generally put into practical use in supermarkets, department stores and the like. A typical conventional electronic cash register comprises a memory including a number-of-times storing region for storing the number of times of registration for each of the commodity department codes and a total storing region for storing the total amount of the registered amounts for each of the commodity department codes, for the purpose of collecting information concerning the sales amount on a day after the end of the business hours of the day, so that the number of times of registration and the total amount for the day for each of the commodity department codes are stored based on the commodity department codes of the commodities each time each commodity is registered. Then, after the shop is closed, the number of times of registration and the total amount for each of the commodity department codes are in succession printed in the order of the commodity department codes stored in the memory, so that an aggregate report is prepared. Therefore, the order of printing in the report is determined by the order of the numbers of the commodity department codes fixedly set in advance by the address order of the memory. Generally, the addresses of the memory are determined in the order of arrangement of the commodity department keys for entering the commodity department codes. Therefore, the problem involved is that in the case where the order of printing on the occasion of printing out an aggregate report is fixedly determined in association with the order of arrangement of the commodity department keys the order of printing for the respective commodity department codes can not be changed. In particular, in selling seasonal commodities, the commodity department keys corresponding to the commodity department codes allotted to the commodities are often changed depending on the seasons and the above described problem is aggravated when it is desired to change the order of printing for the respective commodity department codes.
As described briefly in the foregoing, generally, commodity department codes have been predetermined and allotted to the respective commodities being sold in a supermarket and the like. Such commodities are some times classified depending on the nature, such as the attribute, the date of purchase or the like, irrespecive of different commodity department codes. For example, in the case where the commodities are foods, the foods can be classified into fresh foods, confectioneries, or the like. In such a case, it would be convenient when making a purchase, for example, if the information could be printed out while the commodities are grouped in accordance with the classification depending on the nature of the commodities, for example, irrespective of different commodity department codes.
However, in a conventional electronic cash register, usually the arrangement of the commodity department keys is determined such that those keys corresponding to the commodity department codes of the commodities which have good sales are positioned so as to be most easily operable and those keys corresponding to the commodity department codes of the commodities which have poor sales are positioned at the positions of less easy operability. In other words, the arrangement of the commodity department keys has been determined without regard to the classification of the commodities depending on the nature or the like. Therefore, if and when the total amount information corresponding to each of the commodity department codes is stored in the memory in the order of arrangement of the commodity department keys, the order of printing of the respective commodity department codes being printed out on an aggregate report becomes irregular irrespective of the classification, and inconvenience is caused in preparing a daily journal based on the aggregate report for controlling the purchase of the commodities. Accordingly, in printing out the total amounts of the respective commodity department codes and the like in an aggregate report, it is desired that such data be printed out while the same are grouped in accordance with the classification of the commodities depending on the nature, for example, by making the printing order not associated with the arrangement of the commodity department keys.